National Republican., 1887-12-17
TIE n zero IN TIE sourn.

Proposed .Pies to tho Charitable and
Humane views of - Uoiored citizen.
EDITOR NATIONAL REPUBLICAN,: senator
the 18th ultimO and published In the New |
York World, lie represented as having said |
III have simple plstform--flrst, the pro |
lection Of American industries, and, sec |
ond, fair count Of the vote 10 the southern |
states. / am willing TO forget the war and
forgive those who took part In It, but the
time has come to protect the southern col
ored men In their political rights--to have
heir ballots fairly counted and delivered
Itis undoubtedly true that could this be.
come an accomplished fact several Ot the
southern states would join the Republican
sisterhood, put many a white Republican
in the south into lucrative and honorable
places, and turn over the administration oi
national affairs In 1888 10 the grand old
party, where 1t honestly and Justly belongs
and where II would be now had that same
colored vote OF the south been "faIrly
counted and delivered'' In 1884. But let
me ask-has Senator Sherman counted the
cost, and how does he expect TO accom-
plish this most desirable resultY II is
true the Republicans have control Of
the Senate, but what can the Senate do
Ut tADtCb W uO WIN hnt tlOubt Dtl1DtIhhlN
and Democrat IN the executive chair
Nothing, literally nothing. However, for
arguments sake,say that some such needful
enactment is passed, who, then, is to exc
cute and enforce the law Possibly a
grand jury might occasionally find bin,
but, with Democratic United States mar
shals and their deputies and Democratic
United States district attorneys and their
assistants, there would follow the same old
results-stay Of proceedings, nolle pros;
or, should atuulttal likely to fail, then the
Jury would fail TO agree and the law thus
become a nullity.
No, Mr.. Editor, 1t Is hardly within the
range OF possibilities, during the present
generation of men there, to have anything
like free ballot and fair count OF vote III
the southern states. Any law passed tend
ing in that direction would only further
enrage the Democrats, and they would XIII
more negroes, debauch more election rec
ords, and destroy more ballot boxes II only
for pastime and spite The expenditure Of
100000 will not procure an honest and
fair count and delivery Of the vote In slD
gle southern state where the negro vote
controls In 1855. But In the name Of high
heaven is Senator Sherman who has al
ways stood so nobly by the culofed people
of the south) and the Republican party of
this country going. TO stop with his
"simple platformP' 10 this whole.
sale muruer OIL southern coloteu people
to continue? Are the men who so gallautly
rallied to the call for aid, and nobiy fought
| to sustain this government during the dark
| days Of the rebellion TO continue to be indls.
| crlminately murdered, and for no other
| cause than their love for and loyalty to the
Republican partyP Is there, then, no help,
nosplace Of safety for them?
II is true We want to be protected In our
| political rights. But II they are to be se-
/ pnrnd pnly nt the aaprifpp Of avary 0thnr
right and privilege dear to man, say away
| with Senator Sherman's "simple platform"
If we are to be robbed Of our hard-earned
wages, while our wives hunger and our
children cry for broad; II our wives,
| mothers, sisters, and daughters are to be
insulted and wiekedly assaulted, robbed Of
their honor, character, and chastity, and
then be shot down in courts Of so-caled
justice for no other offense than our efforts
to punish the dastards who commit these
crimes-I say, at such sacrifices, what can
suffering people do9 See, as was the
case a few days ago at Airmouut,
Miss, when Margaret Sherman, who
was giving in her evidence In the court
room against Sell Boyle, white man, who
had the night previous broken iuto her
house and ihdecently assaulted both her
self and daughter, was deliberately shot
through the heart by him. IL we are to be
cremated alive, as were two colored men
last month In Dale county, Ala, aud two
more this week 10 Florida. or shot down
like wild beasts Of prey, as were three col
ored men in November last In Calhoun
county, Fla, by q notorious white man
| named Parish, or as poor James Eistman,
who was shot to death near Bruuswick,
Tenp., In September last by three chival.
rous white gentlemen named W. p. Coff-
man, Richard Walter, and Charles Weber,
who, after numbering their victim, tied
/ n nj - etp hta noolr pA thra,u
his body In the Hatcher river. The only
charge against Eistman was that he struck
| Coffman. His last words were: "C3pt.,
didn't 90 to strike you" Or as poor old
man Millard, who was brutally murdered
at Cuthbert, Ga, in September last by Q
mob Of masked men who visited his cabin
at night, and after perforating his breast
with dozen rifle balls riddled the cabin
wounding an old deienseless woman. Ol
to cite, II possible, greater act OF atroclty
| when at Thebodeaux, La, the labor troubles
existing resulted in the wholesale slaughter
of thirty or more OF our people. These
cases are all of recent date. Numbers more
almost daily, the details of which would
curdle the blood In the veins Of any man Of
| SOUL
True, We want our political rights, but
We want at the same time protection to oul
person and property. We want the honor
character, aud virtue Of our wives, mothers
sisters, and daughters protected. We wan
fair and just compensation for our labor
and to be paid In money for the same, sut
not by the Infamous "store order" sys
tenn, and we want to be treated like human
beings, and not like beasts.
What, Mr.. Editor, has become of the
plan you suggested and 80 zealously adyo-
Gated some eighteen months or two years
ago, viz, that of distributing the coloret
| ppOpla of the eonth thr0uuhnuf lartya
area in the United States? Thousands o
our people In the southern states are to
day crying aloud for help, and begging t,
be relieved from their present persecution
They are ready and anxious to go any
where. There will be found no anarchis
among them, but faithful, honest, ant
industrious help and good citizens. Let tn
the north and west, who have sent thei
thousands upon thousands across tn
broad Atlantic to aid poor Irelaud's op
pressed, and south to assist the yellow
fever, earthquake, and flood sufferers
/ let them think for moment OF tn
poor down-trodden blacks OF tn,
south In our own land, without friends an
) without money to enable them to get away
t who for 200 years were subjected to tn
most abjeet slavery ever known to civiliZe
s. people and for the last twenty. odd year
e have been persistently prosecuted indis
criminately ard In cold blood murdered an
asssssinated and Systematically defraude
out of their hard earned wages (by the yer
people whom they had 80 faithfully serve
In bondage), and who now stand ready an
u | willing with their strong arms and loyf
] hearts to rally to the support OF the govern
ment at the very first tocsin OF alarm shoul
I danger threaten this glorious-our cour
try, CoLoRED CITIZEN.